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A Conservative California Teamster

RUSH: Central California as we head back to the phones. This is Kurt, and I thank you for calling. It's great to have you on the EIB Network, sir. Hello.

CALLER: Thank you, Rush. Hey, I'm a 29-year Teamster, and I'm a Republican. And, you know, we had a proposition out here, Proposition 32. And all the Teamster guys came out here and passed out lots and lots of shirts to all the kids that work in our facility, and I went up to a couple of them and I asked them, "So, you know, what do you think about this?" And they're like, "Think about what?" And I said, "Well, they want to stay in control of the money. So, you know, is Obama your guy?" And some of them were like, "I don't know. I don't know if I'm gonna vote Obama. I don't know." And I'm, like, "Well..."

RUSH: Wait. You're asking them why they're supporting Prop 30?

CALLER: Prop 32, the initiative that allows the Teamsters to --

RUSH: Oh.

CALLER: -- control the money so they can designate what candidate to give the money to.

RUSH: I see. Prop 32. Gotcha. Okay.

CALLER: Yeah, Prop 32 was to let the Teamsters say where your union dues went to. And I would ask these kids about it. I'd say, "So what do you think about this Prop 32?" And they go, "Well, that's to save jobs and that's to save our..." And I'm like, "No, it's not. It's to control our dues and give the money to whatever candidate that, you know, schmooses them they best."

RUSH: Exactly. It was to separate you from the use of your money.

CALLER: Right. And I mean, you know, and I don't listen to your program regularly, so I mean I don't want... For your friends and foes, I just happened to tune in and I'm going, "This is one subject that, you know, just..." I thought it would for sure pass, but, again, it got shot down out here in California, which I can't believe. I'm gonna leave this state. This state is... I heard Texas wants to secede. I'm thinking, "That would be a nice place to go to." But it's ridiculous. And sure enough, the --

RUSH: Now, Prop 32 -- and I apologize for confusing it with Prop 30. Prop 32 was called, or was sold as "payroll protection," and it lost 53 to 46. And because it lost, you're ticked off? You're leaving the state?

CALLER: That's one of many reasons. Governor Brown is another one. You know, I forget how many millions of dollars we're in debt out here, and they're gonna just start raising taxes out here until they can get their money back. Businesses are leaving left and right here.

RUSH: Well, let me ask you a question. You said you're Republican, but you're a Teamster. You've been a Teamster for 29 years.

CALLER: Yes, sir.

RUSH: Now, Prop 32 was intended, as you said, to curb the political influence of public and private employee unions while depriving Democrat political candidates of a major source of campaign cash.

CALLER: Correct.

RUSH: It lost, but I guess what I'm having questions about you is you're a Teamster Republican. I mean, how have you survived for 29 years?

CALLER: Uh, I'm not loud and proud. I just kind of keep to myself. I just don't like what our candidates do. You know, they sent us out --

RUSH: Let me tell you something, folks. This is interesting. I think old Kurt here actually represents a sizeable percentage of unions that you never hear about. Not every union worker... This is what makes this whole dues and money-laundering operation really even more insidious. Not every union worker paying dues supports the Democrat Party.

They have no choice in the matter! Prop 32 was designed to prevent this automatically going to one particular party. And it lost. Like everything else that makes sense in California, it goes down the tubes at this date. But there are a lot of union workers who are not Democrats, who are not liberals, but they have no control over how their dues are spent.